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{{short description|Tongue-in-cheek term of superiority for PC gaming}}
'''PC Master Race''', sometimes referred to as '''The Glorious PC Gaming Master Race''', is a ] term of superiority for ] gaming used among gamers, and used to compare ] to ] gaming.<ref name="twsExtremeTech"/> In current parlance, the term is used by gamers both to describe themselves as a group, as well as their belief in the superiority of the PC platform.<ref name="twsMaximumPC" /><ref name="twsGamesRadar" /><ref name="Oshry 2012"/><ref name="Mayoraz 2014"/><ref name="Connors 2014"/><ref name="Diederichs 2013"/><ref name="Usher 2014"/><ref name="Williams 2013"/><ref name="Plunkett 2014"/> Popular imagery and coverage related to the term often jokingly{{Citation needed|date=June 2015}} describes console users as "dirty console peasants" and people who game on PC as the "Glorious PC Gaming Master Race".<ref name="twsMaximumPC" /><ref name="twsNYDailyNews" />
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2018}}
'''PC Master Race''' ('''PCMR'''), or in its original phrasing '''Glorious PC Gaming Master Race''', is an ], ] and a ] term used within ] to describe the ] and ] associated with ]s when comparing themselves to ]s.<ref name="newstatesman"/><ref name="twsExtremeTech"/>


In current parlance, the term is commonly used by ] both to proudly proclaim themselves as an ] ] group, as well as a ] ] of their own firm belief in the technical supremacy of ]s as a ] platform over ]s such as ] and ], often citing ] features like high-end ], faster ]s, more precise ] control (especially with ]s), free ], wider variety of ], ], better ]ifiability, ] and ], lower cost-over-time, ]s, ] and overall superior ].<ref name="ignsuperior"/><ref name="lifehacker"/> Popular imagery, discussion and media referencing the term also commonly belittles gamers who prefer playing consoles as "dirty console ]s", and describes people who prefer playing PC as the "PC ]".<ref name="Plunkett 2014" />
==Origin and usage==
The term was first used in 2008 by writer ] in the online gaming magazine '']'' in which he video-reviewed the ] '']''.<ref name="twsCroshaw2008" /> Croshaw explained that his initial intent in referencing the ] was to poke fun at an elitist attitude among certain PC gamers as a sort of ironic joke.<ref name="twsEscapistMagazine"/> The term caught on explosively, but with a ] by Ben Croshaw, now as an expression of pride to be called a PC gamer and being part of a group where users viewed their platform as superior to ]s due to its many capabilities and advantages, such as much better hardware available, better graphics, higher framerate, customization, free online play, freedom to upgrade, ], controller compatibility, generally cheaper games, backward compatibility, and much larger game library.<ref name="twsEscapistMagazine" /><ref name="twsLinusTechTips"/>


==History==
While ''The Escapist'' continued to popularize its usage in later installments,<ref name="twsEscapist2"/> writers in more mainstream computer-related and gaming-related publications tended to avoid using the term because of its negative associations. The growing adoption of the term led to websites with variations of 'Glorious PC Gaming Master Race' in their internet addresses, as well as promotion by ], which sells digitally-distributed game software and updates through their ] platform.<ref name="twsNYDailyNews" /> By several accounts, the term has become an ].<ref name="twsEscapistMagazine" /><ref name="twsLinusTechTips"/>
===Creation===
{{quote box|align=right|width=25em|quote=What quickly becomes obvious is that ''Witcher'' is very much a PC-exclusive game, which are typically designed to be as complex and unintuitive as possible so that those dirty console-playing peasants don't ruin it for the glorious PC-gaming master race.|salign=right|source=—]<ref name="twsCroshaw2008"/>}}
In 2008, comedic writer ] employed the comedically extreme term "Glorious PC Gaming Master Race" in a '']'' video-review for the role-playing game '']'' for the online gaming magazine '']''.<ref name="twsCroshaw2008"/> Croshaw explained that his initial intent in referencing ]'s ] ideology when he coined the intense term ''Glorious PC Gaming Master Race'' was to poke fun at an elitist attitude he perceived among some of ''The Witcher''{{'}}s PC playerbase at the time of ''The Witcher''{{'}}s release, who had complained about the PC release of the game being possibly negatively affected by the console port of the game:<ref name="twsEscapistMagazine"/>


<blockquote>"It was intended to be ironic, to illustrate what I perceived at the time to be an elitist attitude among a certain kind of PC gamer. People who invest in expensive gaming PCs and continually spend money to make sure the tech in their brightly-lit tower cases is up to date. Who actually prefer games that are temperamental to get running and that have complicated keyboard interfaces, just because it discourages new or 'casual' players who will in some way taint the entire community with their presence. I meant it as a dig."<ref name="twsEscapistMagazine"/></blockquote>
The term is a launching point for debates about the relative popularity of gaming platforms. A report by Julian Arenzon in the '']'' suggested that digital distribution of games to personal computers is becoming more prevalent within the gaming community, and that there has been a trend away from physical game systems as well as physical disks to be read by ]s.<ref name="twsNYDailyNews"/> Reviewer Paul Tassi in '']'' suggested that in the platform battle, PCs had an edge because they were a "necessity" for everyday life while consoles were a "luxury" costing hundreds of dollars and only offering a few additional games or features over that of what a PC already has.<ref name="twsForbes" />


===Reappropriation===
== See also ==
{{quote box|align=right|width=25em|quote=In April 2011 I grabbed it and changed its original meaning, creating a subreddit dedicated to the glory that is to play (and not only) on PC. ... we're a serious group dedicated to the serious and clear advantages of PC over other work and gaming devices, whose only and arguable advantage are artificial restrictions put in place so as to squeeze gamers out of their money.|salign=right|source=—Reddit user pedro19, creator of the /r/PCMasterRace ]<ref name="Monteiro, Joel" />}}
* ]

* ]
The term caught on quickly, but with a ] than originally implied by Ben Croshaw. It is now being used as an expression of pride among PC gamers, who view their PC platform as superior to traditional ] due to its ever-expandable and ] hardware, graphical potential, affordability, game library, mod support, freedom of input and peripheral options, ] and other popular reasons.<ref name="twsEscapistMagazine" /><ref name="techinsider2" /> This change in meaning and widespread popularity can be linked back to the creation and popularization of the /r/PCMasterRace ] created by Reddit user pedro19 in 2011, which accumulated one million members by July 2017.<ref name="Monteiro, Joel" /> (Over 10 million as of 2024).
* ]

While ''The Escapist'' continued to popularize the term's (or at least the term "Glorious PC Gaming Master Race") usage in later episodes for several years,<ref name="twsEscapist2"/> writers in more mainstream computer-related and gaming-related publications tended to avoid using the term because of its negative associations, such as ].<ref name="twsLinusTechTips"/> In early 2015, Tyler Wilde, executive editor of '']'', suggested the term should be abandoned altogether in an article titled "Let's stop calling ourselves the PC Master Race". "It worked as a hyperbolic joke when it was first said as a hyperbolic joke, and I did think it was a little funny to embrace the criticism ironically - for a moment, when I see kids unironically boasting about their 'master-race' affiliation on forums, I cringe".<ref name="TylerWildePCgamer"/> Wilde instead suggested replacing the term, and offered examples such as "Fearsome Keyboard People" and "PC Thunder Cats". The article was met by some disagreement from others who believed the term's usage was acceptable.<ref name="newstatesman"/><ref name="CroshawResponse" /><ref name="TechRaptor" /> While Ben Croshaw acknowledged the term's reference to and origins from Nazi Germany, he countered that those who use the term without knowing of the association can be viewed positively as a sign that those ideals and their historic Nazi associations had faded from the public mind. He also made a reference to attempts to incite the term's abandonment as being part of a sort of "]", criticizing Wilde's article.<ref name="CroshawResponse" /> Croshaw later sardonically admitted his distaste for the term, jokingly suggesting the term "PC-Gaming-Dick-Slurp-All-Stars" instead.<ref>{{cite web|title=''Zero Punctuation'' reviews Kingdom Come Deliverance|url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/117175-zero-punctuation-Reviews-Kingdom-Come-Deliverance|website=The Escapist|access-date=29 April 2018}}</ref>

===Popularization===
The rapid growth of the shortened and now re-appropriated "PC Master Race" term as well as its handful of associated communities has attracted the attention of related computer hardware and game companies such as Corsair and Valve, as well as celebrities such as ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.instagram.com/p/BH592gCBRTn/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/s/instagram/BH592gCBRTn |archive-date=December 24, 2021 |url-access=registration|website=instagram.com|title=terrycrews|access-date=April 8, 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://entertainment.ie/gaming/Watch-Terry-Crews-is-really-getting-into-PC-gaming/383174.htm|website=entertainment.ie|title=Terry Crews is really getting into PC gaming|date=July 17, 2016|access-date=April 8, 2017}}</ref> Since 2015, several large technology companies have partnered with the PC Master Race group to organize contests, events and giveaways, such as ],<ref name="AMD480"/> ],<ref name="Corsair_tweet" /> ],<ref name="Cooler_Master_tweet" /> ],<ref name="luckeyama"/><ref name="luckeyama2"/> ],<ref>{{cite web|title=Announcing NZXT's Hue+ giveaway to PCMR!|url=https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/comments/4bxnnl/announcing_nzxts_hue_giveaway_to_pcmr/|website=Reddit|date=March 25, 2016 |access-date=December 16, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=We here at NZXT want to help PC gamers out by doing a Steam Gift Card Giveaway.|url=https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/comments/4phsmk/steam_sales_are_the_reason_why_i_am_going_back_to/|website=Reddit|date=June 23, 2016 |access-date=December 16, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=5 Year Anniversary NZXT x PCMR H440 Case!|url=https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/comments/4ho10y/giveaway_5_year_anniversary_nzxt_x_pcmr_h440_case/|website=Reddit|date=May 3, 2016 |access-date=December 16, 2016}}</ref> and ].<ref name="Nvidia" /><ref name="Nvidia_tweet" /> They have also been in close collaboration with the ] project, a distributed computing project developed by ], regularly pushing members of the community to donate their computer power to science, and organizing promotion events to fight against cancer and other diseases, as well as hosting an AMA for the Folding@Home team themselves, which had the participation of investigators and students from ], ] and ].<ref name="Folding_tweet" />

By several accounts, the term has become an ],<ref name="twsNYDailyNews">{{cite web | url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/steam-summer-game-sale-massive-article-1.1402912 | title=Steam Summer Sale 2013 one of the year's biggest events for PC gamers | work=New York Daily News | date=July 18, 2013 | access-date=September 6, 2014 | author=Arenzon, Julian | quote=Therein lies a major difference between the console gamer ... and the PC gamer, which is jokingly and somewhat offensively called "the glorious PC master race" through gaming memes online.}}</ref><ref name="twsEscapistMagazine" /><ref name="twsLinusTechTips"/> and is a launching point for debates about the relative popularity of gaming platforms. Reviewer Paul Tassi in ''Forbes'' suggested in 2014 that PCs had an edge because they were a "necessity" for everyday life while consoles were a "luxury" costing hundreds of dollars and only offering a few different games or features over that of what a PC already offered.<ref name="twsForbes" /> However, the increasing cost of many new PC gaming components from the early 2020s, partially attributed to the ], has resulted in a re-evaluation of the affordability of PC's over consoles gaming.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Carnevale |first1=Robert |title=Give up on PC gaming for now and buy an Xbox |url=https://www.windowscentral.com/give-pc-gaming-now-and-buy-xbox |website=Windows Central |date=March 11, 2022 |publisher=Future US, Inc. |access-date=5 May 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Sebastian |first1=Linus |title=PC Master Race Tries to Beat Xbox Series X |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5y0A83_J57w |website=Youtube |date=January 25, 2021 |publisher=Linus Media Group |access-date=6 May 2022}}</ref>


== References == == References ==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em|refs= {{reflist|30em|refs=

<ref name="TechRaptor">{{cite web | url=http://techraptor.net/content/techraptor-staff-responds-critics-term-pc-master-race | title=TechRaptor Staff Respond to Critics of the Term "PC Master Race" | work=TechRaptor | date=January 14, 2015 | access-date=February 17, 2016 | author=Young, Georgiana}}</ref>

<ref name="AMD480">{{cite web | url=https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/comments/4qfy9d/i_work_at_amd_the_time_has_come_to_ama_about/ | title=I work at AMD. The time has come to AMA about Polaris and RX 400 Series! BONUS: 14x 8GB RX 480 giveaway! DOUBLE BONUS SURPRISE: Raja is with me until 12:00 EDT! | publisher=reddit | date=June 29, 2016 | access-date=July 17, 2016 | author=Hallock, Robert}}</ref>

<ref name="twsExtremeTech">{{cite web | url=http://www.extremetech.com/gaming/184523-watch-dogs-restored-to-its-e3-2012-graphics-glory-the-pc-master-race-strikes-again | title=Watch Dogs restored to its E3 2012 graphics glory: The PC master race strikes again | publisher=Ziff Davis | work=ExtremeTech | date=June 17, 2014 | access-date=September 6, 2014 | author=Hruska, Joel}}</ref>

⚫ <ref name="twsLinusTechTips">{{cite web | url=http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/182767-gamecrates-senior-editor-nick-scibetta-disapproves-of-the-label-pc-master-race/ | title=GameCrate's Senior Editor Nick Scibetta Disapproves of the Label "PC Master Race" | publisher=Linus Tech Tips | date= July 17, 2014 | access-date=September 8, 2014 | author=Scibetta, Nick | quote= ... the "PC Master Race" thing is a meme ... really sick and tired of the "Glorious PC Gaming Master Race" garbage ... single quick line in a single video could have exploded ... use of the phrase "Glorious PC Gaming Master Race" is ubiquitous ... term "master race" offensive}}</ref>


<ref name="twsExtremeTech">{{cite web | url=http://www.extremetech.com/gaming/184523-watch-dogs-restored-to-its-e3-2012-graphics-glory-the-pc-master-race-strikes-again | title=Watch Dogs restored to its E3 2012 graphics glory: The PC master race strikes again | publisher=Ziff Davis | work=ExtremeTech | date=June 17, 2014 | accessdate=September 6, 2014 | author=Hruska, Joel}}</ref> <ref name="twsForbes">{{cite web | url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2014/04/26/mobas-drive-pc-gaming-to-surpass-consoles-globally/#1d060f7b29ac | title=MOBAs Drive PC Gaming to Surpass Consoles Globally | work=Forbes | date=April 26, 2014 | access-date=September 6, 2014 | author=Tassi, Paul | quote=There's an eternal war being waged between PC enthusiasts and console gamers as to which platform is better, and the so-called 'PC master race' might have just gotten a little bit more ammunition.}}</ref>


<ref name="twsMaximumPC">{{cite web | url=http://www.maximumpc.com/geek_holiday_gift_guide_2013 | title=Geek Holiday Gift Guide 2013 | publisher=Future US | work=Maximum PC | date=December 11, 2013 | accessdate=September 6, 2014 | author=Maximum PC staff writers | author2=Lilly, Paul | quote=You know what you won't find in this guide? Console recommendations. Let the peasants debate over which is better, the Xbox One or PlayStation 4. We're part of the PC master race and we'll defend our platform of choice until the end of time.}}</ref> <ref name="twsCroshaw2008">{{cite web | url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/22-The-Witcher | title=''The Witcher'' | publisher=Defy Media | work=The Escapist | date=January 23, 2008 | access-date=September 6, 2014 | author=Croshaw, Ben | author-link=Ben Croshaw | quote= ... Those dirty console playing peasants don't ruin it for the glorious PC gaming master race ...}} {{dead link|date=December 2022}}</ref>


<ref name="Oshry 2012">{{cite web | url=http://www.vg247.com/2012/06/13/todd-howard-wants-console-players-to-experience-the-glory-of-pc-mods/ | title=Todd Howard wants console players to experience the glory of PC mods | work=VG247 | date=June 13, 2012 | accessdate=September 6, 2014 | author=Oshry, Dave | quote=Bethesda’s head of everything Elder Scrolls wishes that the dirty console peasants could experience the glory of the PC modding community.}}</ref> <ref name="twsEscapistMagazine">{{cite web | url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/columns/extra-punctuation/10350-The-Glorious-PC-Gaming-Master-Race | title=The Glorious PC Gaming Master Race | publisher=Defy Media | work=The Escapist | date=May 28, 2013 | access-date=September 6, 2014 | author=Croshaw, Ben | author-link=Ben Croshaw | quote=It was intended to be ironic, to illustrate what I perceived at the time to be an elitist attitude among a certain kind of PC gamer.}}</ref>


<ref name="twsEscapist2">{{cite web | url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/129052-Alienware-Tempts-Gamers-To-Master-Race-With-200-Console-Trade-Ins | title=Alienware Tempts Gamers to Master Race with $200 Console Trade-Ins | publisher=Defy Media | work=The Escapist | date=October 25, 2013 | access-date=September 6, 2014 | author=Bogos, Steven}}</ref>
<ref name="Mayoraz 2014">{{cite web | url=http://tecnovortex.com/glorious-pc-master-race-y-el-orgullo-del-pc-gamer/ | title='The glorious PC master race' y el orgullo del PC Gamer | work=Techno Vortex | date=February 24, 2014 | accessdate=September 6, 2014 | author=Mayoraz, Guillermo | language=Spanish | quote=''The Escapist'' used the term 'Glorious PC master race' in referring to the complex structure of the game ]''], naming its console gamers counterparts 'dirty console peasants' ... as a race of inferior players.}}</ref>


<ref name="Connors 2014">{{cite web | url=http://www.insidegamingdaily.com/2014/01/28/join-the-master-race-our-pc-building-guide/ | title=Join the Master Race – Our PC Building Guide | publisher=Machinima | work=Inside Gaming Daily | date=January 28, 2014 | accessdate=September 6, 2014 | author=Connors, Devin}}</ref> <ref name="Plunkett 2014">{{cite web | url=http://kotaku.com/5963127/the-rise-of-the-glorious-master-race-of-pc-gamers | title=The Rise of the Glorious Master Race of PC Gamers | publisher=Gawker Media | work=Kotaku | date=November 25, 2012 | access-date=September 6, 2014 | author=Plunkett, Luke | quote=Sometimes used as with pride, sometimes used with derision, the term 'master race' has become a common one to describe those PC gamers who love to Lord it over the plebs, revelling in their glowing hardware and hi-res textures.}}</ref>


<ref name="Diederichs 2013">{{cite web | url=http://www.timeslive.co.za/scitech/2013/12/12/xbox-one-versus-ps4-the-pc-master-race-won-long-ago | title=Xbox One versus PS4? The PC master race won long ago | publisher=Times Media Group | work=Times Live | date=December 12, 2013 | accessdate=September 6, 2014 | author=Diederichs, Wiehahn}}</ref> <ref name="TylerWildePCgamer">{{cite web|url=http://www.pcgamer.com/lets-stop-calling-ourselves-the-pc-master-race/|title=Let's stop calling ourselves the "PC Master Race|last=Wilde|first=Tyler|website=]|date=January 14, 2015|access-date=June 30, 2015}}</ref>


<ref name="Usher 2014">{{cite web | url=http://www.cinemablend.com/games/Tomb-Raider-Definitive-Edition-Skipping-Glorious-PC-Master-Race-61427.html | title=Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition Skipping the Glorious PC Master Race | work=Cinema Blend | date=January 6, 2014 | accessdate=September 6, 2014 | author=Usher, William | quote=While some members of the Glorious PC Master Race are rocking setups that can hit 2K resolutions at 60 smooth-as-a-baby's-bottom frames per second ...}}</ref> <ref name="Monteiro, Joel">{{cite news | url=http://www.eurogamer.pt/articles/2014-10-31-entrevista-a-pedro19-o-homem-por-tras-da-pc-master-race | title=Interviewing pedro19, the man behind the PC Master Race "Entrevista a pedro19, o homem por trás da PC Master Race | publisher=Eurogamer | date=October 31, 2014 | access-date=June 30, 2015 | author=Monteiro, Joel | newspaper=Eurogamer.pt | quote= He's called pedro19 ... and he heads a global movement created on Reddit and known to many of our readers: the "glorious" PC Master Race. "Dá pelo nome de pedro19 ... e encabeça um movimento global, criado no reddit, familiar a muitos dos nossos leitores: a "gloriosa" PC Master Race"..}}</ref>


<ref name="Williams 2013">{{cite web | url=http://www.usgamer.net/articles/mods-and-the-pc-gaming-master-race | title=Mods and The PC Gaming Master Race | publisher=Gamer Network | work=USgamer | date=September 6, 2013 | accessdate=September 6, 2014 | author=Williams, Mike | quote=Brought up when discussing that 'Glorious PC Gaming Master Race' meme started by Zero Punctuation ...}}</ref> <ref name="CroshawResponse">{{cite web|url=https://www.escapistmagazine.com/on-the-pc-master-race-and-the-language-police/|title=On the PC Master Race and the Language Police|last=Croshaw|first=Ben|date=January 20, 2015|access-date=June 30, 2015|quote=Because the Nazis were dicks, and they don't deserve to have power over our language anymore. If some millennial can honestly use the term 'PC Master Race' for years without even knowing that it's a Nazi reference, then I'd chalk that up as a win.}}</ref>


<ref name="Corsair_tweet">{{cite web | url=https://twitter.com/Corsair/status/623229070604673024 | title=Corsair exclusive PCMR giveaway | date=July 20, 2015 | access-date=September 13, 2015}}</ref>
<ref name="Plunkett 2014">{{cite web | url=http://kotaku.com/5963127/the-rise-of-the-glorious-master-race-of-pc-gamers | title=The Rise of the Glorious Master Race of PC Gamers | publisher=Gawker Media | work=Kotaku | date=November 25, 2012 | accessdate=September 6, 2014 | author=Plunkett, Luke | quote=Sometimes used as with pride, sometimes used with derision, the term 'master race' has become a common one to describe those PC gamers who love to Lord it over the plebs, revelling in their glowing hardware and hi-res textures.}}</ref>


<ref name="Cooler_Master_tweet">{{cite web | url=https://twitter.com/CoolerMaster/status/639799868718841856 | title=Cooler Master exclusive PCMR giveaway | date=September 4, 2015 | access-date=September 13, 2015}}</ref>
⚫ <ref name="twsLinusTechTips">{{cite web | url=http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/182767-gamecrates-senior-editor-nick-scibetta-disapproves-of-the-label-pc-master-race/ | title=GameCrate's Senior Editor Nick Scibetta Disapproves of the Label "PC Master Race" | publisher=Linus Tech Tips | date= 17 July 2014 | accessdate=Sep 8, 2014 | author=Scibetta, Nick | quote=... the “PC Master Race” thing is a meme ... really sick and tired of the “Glorious PC Gaming Master Race” garbage... single quick line in a single video could have exploded ... use of the phrase “Glorious PC Gaming Master Race” is ubiquitous...term “master race” offensive}}</ref>


<ref name="Nvidia">{{cite web | url=http://www.geforce.com/whats-new/articles/ascend-a-friend | title=Ascend A Friend | date=September 11, 2015 | access-date=September 13, 2015}}</ref>
<ref name="twsNYDailyNews">{{cite web | url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/steam-summer-game-sale-massive-article-1.1402912 | title=Steam Summer Sale 2013 one of the year's biggest events for PC gamers | work=New York Daily News | date=July 18, 2013 | accessdate=September 6, 2014 | author=Arenzon, Julian | quote=Steam has become one of the driving forces behind the growth of digital distribution... jokingly and somewhat offensively called 'the glorious PC master race' ...}}</ref>


<ref name="Nvidia_tweet">{{cite web | url=https://twitter.com/NVIDIAGeForce/status/642736956938559489 | title=Nvidia exclusive PCMR contest | date=July 20, 2015 | access-date=September 13, 2015}}</ref>
<ref name="twsForbes">{{cite web | url=http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2014/04/26/mobas-drive-pc-gaming-to-surpass-consoles-globally/ | title=MOBAs Drive PC Gaming to Surpass Consoles Globally | work=Forbes | date=April 26, 2014 | accessdate=September 6, 2014 | author=Tassi, Paul | quote=There's an eternal war being waged between PC enthusiasts and console gamers as to which platform is better, and the so-called 'PC master race' might have just gotten a little bit more ammunition.}}</ref>


<ref name="twsCroshaw2008">{{cite web | url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/22-The-Witcher | title=''The Witcher'' | publisher=Defy Media | work=The Escapist | date=January 23, 2008 | accessdate=September 6, 2014 | author=Croshaw, Ben | authorlink=Ben Croshaw | time=0:58 | quote=... Those dirty console playing peasants don't ruin it for the glorious PC gaming master race ...}}</ref> <ref name="Folding_tweet">{{cite web | url=https://twitter.com/foldingathome/status/865644788221059072 | title=Folding AMA on Reddit | date=July 20, 2015 | access-date=September 13, 2015}}</ref>


<ref name="newstatesman">{{cite web|url=http://www.newstatesman.com/killing-time/2015/01/it-s-ok-pc-gamers-be-little-arrogant-they-know-theyve-backed-right-platform|title=It's OK for PC gamers to be a little arrogant – they know they've backed the right platform|last=Hartup|first=Phil|date=January 21, 2015|access-date=February 18, 2016}}</ref>
<ref name="twsEscapistMagazine">{{cite web | url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/columns/extra-punctuation/10350-The-Glorious-PC-Gaming-Master-Race | title=The Glorious PC Gaming Master Race | publisher=Defy Media | work=The Escapist | date=May 28, 2013 | accessdate=September 6, 2014 | author=Croshaw, Ben | authorlink=Ben Croshaw | time=0:58 | quote=It was intended to be ironic, to illustrate what I perceived at the time to be an elitist attitude among a certain kind of PC gamer.}}</ref>


<ref name="twsEscapist2">{{cite web | url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/129052-Alienware-Tempts-Gamers-To-Master-Race-With-200-Console-Trade-Ins | title=Alienware Tempts Gamers to Master Race with $200 Console Trade-Ins | publisher=Defy Media | work=The Escapist | date=October 25, 2013 | accessdate=September 6, 2014 | author=Bogos, Steven}}</ref> <ref name="ignsuperior">{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/11/29/pc-is-far-superior-for-gaming-says-nvidia|title=PC is "Far Superior" For Gaming, Says Nvidia|first=Keza|last=MacDonald|date=November 29, 2013|work=IGN|access-date=February 18, 2016}}</ref>


<ref name="twsGamesRadar">{{cite web | url=http://www.gamesradar.com/upcoming-pc-games/ | title=50 upcoming PC games for 2014 and beyond | publisher=Future US | work=GamesRadar | date=July 10, 2014 | accessdate=September 6, 2014 | author=GamesRadar staff writers | quote=The glorious PC marches on in 2014 ...}}</ref> <ref name="lifehacker">{{cite web|url=http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2015/08/why-im-a-pc-gamer/|title=Consoles Vs PCs: Why I'm A PC Gamer|first=Whitson|last=Gordon|date=August 17, 2015|access-date=February 18, 2016}}</ref>


<ref name="luckeyama">{{cite web|url=http://www.pcgamesn.com/second-palmer-luckey-ama-takes-place-on-rpcmasterrace-of-all-places|title=Second Palmer Luckey AMA takes place on r/pcmasterrace, of all places|work=PCGamesN|first=Ben|last=Barrett|date=January 10, 2016|access-date=February 18, 2016}}</ref>


<ref name="luckeyama2">{{cite web|url=http://www.pcgamer.com/second-luckey-ama-talks-exclusivity-quality-and-experimental-super-rigs/|title=Second Luckey AMA talks exclusivity, quality and experimental super-rigs|work=PC Gamer|first=Angus|last=Morrison|date=January 10, 2016|access-date=February 18, 2016}}</ref>


<ref name="techinsider2">{{cite web|url=http://www.techinsider.io/reasons-why-pc-gamers-prefer-pc-2015-11|title=10 reasons why playing games on PC is better than consoles|work=TechInsider|first=Antonio|last=Villas-Boas|date=January 10, 2016|access-date=November 4, 2015}}</ref>
}} }}


==Bibliography==
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*{{cite book|title=Dent's Modern Tribes: The Secret Languages of Britain|author=Susie Dent|editor= John Murray|isbn=9781473623880|year=2016|publisher=John Murray Press |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZxTJCwAAQBAJ&dq=pc+master+race&pg=PT47 |access-date=April 8, 2017}}
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Latest revision as of 14:13, 21 November 2024

Tongue-in-cheek term of superiority for PC gaming

PC Master Race (PCMR), or in its original phrasing Glorious PC Gaming Master Race, is an internet meme, subculture and a tongue-in-cheek term used within video game culture to describe the grandiosity and god complex associated with PC gamers when comparing themselves to console gamers.

In current parlance, the term is commonly used by computer enthusiasts both to proudly proclaim themselves as an elitist gamer group, as well as a humorous self-parody of their own firm belief in the technical supremacy of personal computers as a video gaming platform over video game consoles such as PlayStation and Xbox, often citing gaming PC features like high-end graphics, faster frame rates, more precise gameplay control (especially with first-person shooters), free online play, wider variety of downloadable games, backward compatibility, better modifiability, upgradability and customization, lower cost-over-time, open standards, multitasking and overall superior performance. Popular imagery, discussion and media referencing the term also commonly belittles gamers who prefer playing consoles as "dirty console peasants", and describes people who prefer playing PC as the "PC master race".

History

Creation

What quickly becomes obvious is that Witcher is very much a PC-exclusive game, which are typically designed to be as complex and unintuitive as possible so that those dirty console-playing peasants don't ruin it for the glorious PC-gaming master race.

—Ben Croshaw

In 2008, comedic writer Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw employed the comedically extreme term "Glorious PC Gaming Master Race" in a Zero Punctuation video-review for the role-playing game The Witcher for the online gaming magazine The Escapist. Croshaw explained that his initial intent in referencing Nazi Germany's master race ideology when he coined the intense term Glorious PC Gaming Master Race was to poke fun at an elitist attitude he perceived among some of The Witcher's PC playerbase at the time of The Witcher's release, who had complained about the PC release of the game being possibly negatively affected by the console port of the game:

"It was intended to be ironic, to illustrate what I perceived at the time to be an elitist attitude among a certain kind of PC gamer. People who invest in expensive gaming PCs and continually spend money to make sure the tech in their brightly-lit tower cases is up to date. Who actually prefer games that are temperamental to get running and that have complicated keyboard interfaces, just because it discourages new or 'casual' players who will in some way taint the entire community with their presence. I meant it as a dig."

Reappropriation

In April 2011 I grabbed it and changed its original meaning, creating a subreddit dedicated to the glory that is to play (and not only) on PC. ... we're a serious group dedicated to the serious and clear advantages of PC over other work and gaming devices, whose only and arguable advantage are artificial restrictions put in place so as to squeeze gamers out of their money.

—Reddit user pedro19, creator of the /r/PCMasterRace subreddit

The term caught on quickly, but with a different meaning than originally implied by Ben Croshaw. It is now being used as an expression of pride among PC gamers, who view their PC platform as superior to traditional video game consoles due to its ever-expandable and upgradable hardware, graphical potential, affordability, game library, mod support, freedom of input and peripheral options, emulation capability and other popular reasons. This change in meaning and widespread popularity can be linked back to the creation and popularization of the /r/PCMasterRace subreddit created by Reddit user pedro19 in 2011, which accumulated one million members by July 2017. (Over 10 million as of 2024).

While The Escapist continued to popularize the term's (or at least the term "Glorious PC Gaming Master Race") usage in later episodes for several years, writers in more mainstream computer-related and gaming-related publications tended to avoid using the term because of its negative associations, such as Nazism. In early 2015, Tyler Wilde, executive editor of PC Gamer, suggested the term should be abandoned altogether in an article titled "Let's stop calling ourselves the PC Master Race". "It worked as a hyperbolic joke when it was first said as a hyperbolic joke, and I did think it was a little funny to embrace the criticism ironically - for a moment, when I see kids unironically boasting about their 'master-race' affiliation on forums, I cringe". Wilde instead suggested replacing the term, and offered examples such as "Fearsome Keyboard People" and "PC Thunder Cats". The article was met by some disagreement from others who believed the term's usage was acceptable. While Ben Croshaw acknowledged the term's reference to and origins from Nazi Germany, he countered that those who use the term without knowing of the association can be viewed positively as a sign that those ideals and their historic Nazi associations had faded from the public mind. He also made a reference to attempts to incite the term's abandonment as being part of a sort of "thought police", criticizing Wilde's article. Croshaw later sardonically admitted his distaste for the term, jokingly suggesting the term "PC-Gaming-Dick-Slurp-All-Stars" instead.

Popularization

The rapid growth of the shortened and now re-appropriated "PC Master Race" term as well as its handful of associated communities has attracted the attention of related computer hardware and game companies such as Corsair and Valve, as well as celebrities such as Terry Crews. Since 2015, several large technology companies have partnered with the PC Master Race group to organize contests, events and giveaways, such as AMD, Corsair, Cooler Master, Oculus VR, NZXT, and Nvidia. They have also been in close collaboration with the Folding@Home project, a distributed computing project developed by Stanford University, regularly pushing members of the community to donate their computer power to science, and organizing promotion events to fight against cancer and other diseases, as well as hosting an AMA for the Folding@Home team themselves, which had the participation of investigators and students from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Stanford University and Temple University.

By several accounts, the term has become an Internet meme, and is a launching point for debates about the relative popularity of gaming platforms. Reviewer Paul Tassi in Forbes suggested in 2014 that PCs had an edge because they were a "necessity" for everyday life while consoles were a "luxury" costing hundreds of dollars and only offering a few different games or features over that of what a PC already offered. However, the increasing cost of many new PC gaming components from the early 2020s, partially attributed to the 2020–2023 global chip shortage, has resulted in a re-evaluation of the affordability of PC's over consoles gaming.

References

  1. ^ Hartup, Phil (January 21, 2015). "It's OK for PC gamers to be a little arrogant – they know they've backed the right platform". Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  2. Hruska, Joel (June 17, 2014). "Watch Dogs restored to its E3 2012 graphics glory: The PC master race strikes again". ExtremeTech. Ziff Davis. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
  3. MacDonald, Keza (November 29, 2013). "PC is "Far Superior" For Gaming, Says Nvidia". IGN. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  4. Gordon, Whitson (August 17, 2015). "Consoles Vs PCs: Why I'm A PC Gamer". Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  5. Plunkett, Luke (November 25, 2012). "The Rise of the Glorious Master Race of PC Gamers". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Retrieved September 6, 2014. Sometimes used as with pride, sometimes used with derision, the term 'master race' has become a common one to describe those PC gamers who love to Lord it over the plebs, revelling in their glowing hardware and hi-res textures.
  6. ^ Croshaw, Ben (January 23, 2008). "The Witcher". The Escapist. Defy Media. Retrieved September 6, 2014. ... Those dirty console playing peasants don't ruin it for the glorious PC gaming master race ...
  7. ^ Croshaw, Ben (May 28, 2013). "The Glorious PC Gaming Master Race". The Escapist. Defy Media. Retrieved September 6, 2014. It was intended to be ironic, to illustrate what I perceived at the time to be an elitist attitude among a certain kind of PC gamer.
  8. ^ Monteiro, Joel (October 31, 2014). "Interviewing pedro19, the man behind the PC Master Race "Entrevista a pedro19, o homem por trás da PC Master Race". Eurogamer.pt. Eurogamer. Retrieved June 30, 2015. He's called pedro19 ... and he heads a global movement created on Reddit and known to many of our readers: the "glorious" PC Master Race. "Dá pelo nome de pedro19 ... e encabeça um movimento global, criado no reddit, familiar a muitos dos nossos leitores: a "gloriosa" PC Master Race"..
  9. Villas-Boas, Antonio (January 10, 2016). "10 reasons why playing games on PC is better than consoles". TechInsider. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  10. Bogos, Steven (October 25, 2013). "Alienware Tempts Gamers to Master Race with $200 Console Trade-Ins". The Escapist. Defy Media. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
  11. ^ Scibetta, Nick (July 17, 2014). "GameCrate's Senior Editor Nick Scibetta Disapproves of the Label "PC Master Race"". Linus Tech Tips. Retrieved September 8, 2014. ... the "PC Master Race" thing is a meme ... really sick and tired of the "Glorious PC Gaming Master Race" garbage ... single quick line in a single video could have exploded ... use of the phrase "Glorious PC Gaming Master Race" is ubiquitous ... term "master race" offensive
  12. Wilde, Tyler (January 14, 2015). "Let's stop calling ourselves the "PC Master Race". PC Gamer. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  13. ^ Croshaw, Ben (January 20, 2015). "On the PC Master Race and the Language Police". Retrieved June 30, 2015. Because the Nazis were dicks, and they don't deserve to have power over our language anymore. If some millennial can honestly use the term 'PC Master Race' for years without even knowing that it's a Nazi reference, then I'd chalk that up as a win.
  14. Young, Georgiana (January 14, 2015). "TechRaptor Staff Respond to Critics of the Term "PC Master Race"". TechRaptor. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  15. "Zero Punctuation reviews Kingdom Come Deliverance". The Escapist. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
  16. "terrycrews". instagram.com. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  17. "Terry Crews is really getting into PC gaming". entertainment.ie. July 17, 2016. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  18. Hallock, Robert (June 29, 2016). "I work at AMD. The time has come to AMA about Polaris and RX 400 Series! BONUS: 14x 8GB RX 480 giveaway! DOUBLE BONUS SURPRISE: Raja is with me until 12:00 EDT!". reddit. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  19. "Corsair exclusive PCMR giveaway". July 20, 2015. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
  20. "Cooler Master exclusive PCMR giveaway". September 4, 2015. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
  21. Barrett, Ben (January 10, 2016). "Second Palmer Luckey AMA takes place on r/pcmasterrace, of all places". PCGamesN. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  22. Morrison, Angus (January 10, 2016). "Second Luckey AMA talks exclusivity, quality and experimental super-rigs". PC Gamer. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  23. "Announcing NZXT's Hue+ giveaway to PCMR!". Reddit. March 25, 2016. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
  24. "We here at NZXT want to help PC gamers out by doing a Steam Gift Card Giveaway". Reddit. June 23, 2016. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
  25. "5 Year Anniversary NZXT x PCMR H440 Case!". Reddit. May 3, 2016. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
  26. "Ascend A Friend". September 11, 2015. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
  27. "Nvidia exclusive PCMR contest". July 20, 2015. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
  28. "Folding AMA on Reddit". July 20, 2015. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
  29. Arenzon, Julian (July 18, 2013). "Steam Summer Sale 2013 one of the year's biggest events for PC gamers". New York Daily News. Retrieved September 6, 2014. Therein lies a major difference between the console gamer ... and the PC gamer, which is jokingly and somewhat offensively called "the glorious PC master race" through gaming memes online.
  30. Tassi, Paul (April 26, 2014). "MOBAs Drive PC Gaming to Surpass Consoles Globally". Forbes. Retrieved September 6, 2014. There's an eternal war being waged between PC enthusiasts and console gamers as to which platform is better, and the so-called 'PC master race' might have just gotten a little bit more ammunition.
  31. Carnevale, Robert (March 11, 2022). "Give up on PC gaming for now and buy an Xbox". Windows Central. Future US, Inc. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
  32. Sebastian, Linus (January 25, 2021). "PC Master Race Tries to Beat Xbox Series X". Youtube. Linus Media Group. Retrieved May 6, 2022.

Bibliography

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